The Bukater Chronicles
by Sam Pembroke
Summary: The Bukater Chronicles is my latest family saga. The story starts off just before Ruth's husband marries her. Instead of her husband dying, well, you'll have to read on.


May of 1885 was a pleasant time to be in Philadelphia; the air was mild and all the debutantes of Philadelphia society were making their debut. The Schuylkill kept flowing carelessly to the Delaware, and the flowers were all abloom. The townhouses just to the east of the city center were adorned with the signs of spring. One townhouse, on Cherry Street was quite active during this time. The Bukater family had lived in this townhouse since the 1850's. Joseph Bukater, the head of the family was a shipping magnate who chose to have a gaudy mansion on the mainline. His wife was Mehitable. Mehitable came from Massachusetts, the daughter of a timber magnate who had lumber camps in northern New England. Their youngest son was named Samuel. Samuel had just commenced from a prestigious boys' boarding school in New York and was considered an eligible bachelor. His mother was quite vocal when it came to his choice of women.

All her choices, of course, he disapproved of. Some young women were stuffy, some were snobs and others were just downright mean. Then one day in late May it happened. Samuel was walking along Cherry Street when he came across her. This girl could not have been more than fifteen or sixteen at the latest. Her auburn hair was done nicely and she wore a small hat. She was with a woman who looked similar; perhaps she was the girls' mother. Ever the nervous person, he casually walked up to the young woman.

"If you're looking for the newest department store, you'll find it up on Vine Street." He said nervously. The girls' mother did not look alarmed. The girl however was startled.

"Who are you?" The girls' mother asked.

"I'm Samuel Alan Bukater." He said, bowing.

"Oh, I see. This is my daughter Ruth." She said.

"How do you do?" Ruth asked, as she curtsied.

"I'm well, thank you." Samuel replied.

Little did Samuel know that Ruth was a young woman his mother had arranged to meet with him. They were in front of the townhouse. Suddenly, Samuel heard his name being called.

It was Mehitable.

Mehitable, ever the society empress, casually walked to the small group and escorted them inside. Once in the parlor, they sat.

"Allison, I've called upon you and your daughter Ruth, to form a relationship with my son. He's the youngest and needs to become a family man. I trust that Ruth will make an excellent wife."

Allison smiled.

"But of course. She's quite intelligent. She's always reading and she has a cultivated mind."

"Sounds like a wonderful match for my son. He's studious and quite intelligent himself."

"Her father, however, doesn't like the fact that she reads and draws. He wants her to be a china doll. Her older sister, Harriet, married into the Boston Dawson's. I'm afraid that they've locked her away in an asylum in some place called Taunton. I want to bring her home, but Horace won't let me."

"I would like to speak to this man you call Horace." Samuel said.

Ruth seemed nervous. Perhaps it was the boning of her training corset digging into her side, or it was the bustle she was wearing. Whatever it was, it bothered Ruth immensely.

"Tomorrow, you shall meet my husband. Mehitable, it was a pleasure." Allison said.

Mehitable sat with her son.

"You two seemed to hit it off quite well." She said.

He laughed. She was right after all.

The following day, Samuel met Horace. He had to take a train out to the DeWitt home in Lower Merion Township. The house was gaudy and overdone. Surely the DeWitt's were new money. He went to the door and rang the bell. A maid answered.

"Is Mr. DeWitt in?" He asked.

"Yes, do come inside." She said.

The whole inside of the house was extravagant, but Samuel knew, as did anyone who came from an established family, that there was an artificial flair here. The house reeked of new money. Suddenly a booming voice was heard, and whoever it belonged to, did not seem happy.

"I told you, you mustn't read novels! A woman's place is to honor her husband."

The person came around the corner.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"I'm Samuel Alan Bukater. I wish to marry your daughter, Ruth." Samuel replied.

Horace seemed to relax. He even smiled.

"I'm Horace DeWitt. I'm Ruth's father. From what I take, your family is just the ally I need."

Samuel wished his father was here. Horace was about to talk business. Samuel almost didn't know what to do, but somehow his instincts kicked in.

"I would like to forge a deal with your company. As you know I own several textile mills; from Bucks County to Delaware. I would like to use your company to ship my goods, whether by train or by sea. You will get quite a handsome deal and dowry from my family. My brother Lucien will help you get kickbacks. The mayor of Philadelphia is a rather large pain in the ass to deal with."

Now Samuel didn't truly know what to do, so he winged it. So far, it looked as though he was going to marry Horace's daughter.

"Now, onto my daughter. I have a few ground rules; the first is that you must mind what she reads. The second, you will have children. The third, do not speak of her sister Harriet."

Samuel wondered about the rule regarding Harriet.

"May I ask as to why I may not speak of her sister?"

"She married into the Boston Dawson's. She has had about six miscarriages. Her mind is gone and thus she is in a rather ornate asylum in some place called Taunton. Ruth looked to Harriet for guidance. Harriet put some rather large ideas in her head."

Samuel didn't believe that the situation was that bad. He had no intentions of adhering to Horace's rules, especially the one where he had to mind what she read. Samuel believed that anyone should be able to read whatever they liked. The rule about Harriet was the worst one of the three. If his wife wished to talk about Harriet with him, then he would talk with her about it.

He left the gaudy house and headed back into the city.

When he arrived home, he found his father sitting in the parlor.

"I do wish you had consulted me. He will pay us, will he not?"

"Yes. He will pay us, and he will connect you to his brother, Lucien."

"Good lord, not Lucien DeWitt! That man is a snake. His pockets are lined with kickbacks from the city. I will accept them, but not because of my conscience, but I will need them for his downfall. Horace's downfall is coming soon, I fret. I took a tour of one of his mills, the one in Perkiomen. What a mess! There's no organization. His workers are treated as if they were slaves. Rumor has it, he's insolvent. Perhaps that's why he referred me to Lucien." Samuel's father said.

Samuel put two and two together.

"What shall we do, father?"

"We will take down the DeWitt business. We as father and son will not tolerate their shit."

"I know of a few people. They know how to act on their own, and not tell of any connection to us."

"Who are they?"

"Charles Calvert, an accountant. James Pease, an investigative reporter for the Inquirer, and William Marshall, an investigator."

It was agreed upon at this moment, that they would take down Samuel's future father in law.


End file.
